10 Most Impactful Trades In NBA History

#1 Bill Russell (St.Louis Hawks to Boston Celtics)

Bill Russell (Image courtesy: si.com)

This was an extremely unfortunate situation for the St.Louis Hawks. They held the second pick in the 1956 draft and with the Rochester Royals deciding to go for the two-time All-American Sihugo Green, the Hawks didn't have enough money to sign Bill Russell from San Fransisco.

Luckily for the Celtics, they did. They shipped Cliff Haegen and Ed Mcauley to St.Louis in turn for the 6'10" center. Boston also managed to draft Tom Heinsohn and K.C Jones in the same draft.

The trio was an integral part of the Celtics dynasty the followed. Jones and Heinsohn won eight titles each. Russell, on the other hand, won eleven championships during his thirteen seasons in the league.

The Hawks did win a title after the draft had taken place and reached the finals on three other occasions. They lost to Boston on each of those attempts in the final.